Okay, I thought that title might get your attention. This past Sunday Pastor Mario, from Guatemala, was with us and he had some challenging thoughts concerning purity in marriage. He brought the third part of a four part series on marriage called “A Solemn Promise”.
In the 1960’s the culture tried to separate sex from true love and relationships. The results have been disastrous for American families. There are always consequences for choices we make. We must be careful not to let the culture tell us what is right and what is wrong. Truth does not reside in the culture, but in the Word of God.
Many hundreds of years ago, Christian’s withdrew into monasteries under the assumption that you could NOT be holy and be married. Pastor Mario presented a very profound thought when he said that, “It is through marriage that character is formed.” He went on to say that, “One year of marriage creates more holiness than ten years in a monastery.” It is in the context of families where we learn to take off our masks and be who we really are. Through relationships with our parents, spouses, and children, we learn the true meaning of living holy and godly lives. We are confronted with what true love is all about.
Pastor Mario made another very important observation. He said that, “Love does not depend on our being in love, it depends on God.” Wow, that is a truth that has completely escaped our culture and many of our families today, including Christian families. Marriage was established by God for the betterment of mankind. The only way we can have a clear perspective on marriage is to go to the Lord and find His pattern for relationships and more specifically for marriage. The Christian life is about living and working together with imperfect people. Learning to love one another as God has loved us. Again, Pastor Mario said, “Marriage is a collision of ideas and ways of living, but this is where true character is formed.”
Good thoughts and some very profound insights. Thank you Pastor Mario and may the Lord bless your ministry in Guatemala.
Pastor Gary
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